Couple who takes care of special needs children receives assistance

An Albuquerque couple, who has dedicated their lives to raising special needs children, feared the kids' health care was on the line.

The Smethurst family has two adopted special needs kids, and they also foster several others. They say they just found out their doctor at UNM Hospital is going to be dropped from their Presbyterian Salud health plan. Their doctor knows their children well and sees them often.

The family wanted to change providers to stay with their UNM Hospital doctor, but they were told it was too late. So they called KOB Eyewitness News 4.

"We want to go on another plan and what they told us was no, you can't do anything about it until the first of the year," Gary Smethurst said.

The State's Human Services Department contacted KOB and said they would help the family switch providers to keep their doctor.